


gotta be larger than life

by blindmadness



Series: Crossover and AU Adventures [7]
Category: Galavant (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Bickering, F/M, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 01:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10293821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blindmadness/pseuds/blindmadness
Summary: Isabella wants a story; Galavant wants Isabella to stay out of trouble. (A superhero AU.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Technically the fandom for this prompt was Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but, like... no. Just no. So instead it's a very, very loose take on Superman, and more of just a generic superhero AU in which Isabella just happens to be an Intrepid Journalist who keeps chasing danger, because it seemed appropriate. I would deeply love to play around in this 'verse more, since this canon would lend itself so beautifully to ridic superhero tropes, but as of now I have no further ideas, so... WHO KNOWS. 
> 
> Title taken from "Holding Out For A Hero," because I couldn't resist.

“Just out of curiosity,” Galavant says, in the too-polite voice that means he’s furious, “are you _ever_ going to learn how to stay out of life and death situations, or did you just plan on continuing until you _actually died?”_

“No need to take that tone,” Isabella says, as primly as she can while flying through the air in the arms of a masked vigilante. “You’re in life and death situations nearly every day.”

“That is _completely_ different,” Galavant protests through gritted teeth. “I’m—”

“A man?” Isabella snaps, chin in the air (well, _all_ of her is in the air, but her chin is a little higher than the rest).

“A superhero! I have superpowers! You’re an ordinary human!”

“Well, you don’t have to be so rude about it,” Isabella sniffs at him, all but leaping out of his arms as he lands on the sidewalk, well away from the burning building. (She has to admit to a twinge of regret as she does so—they’re very nice arms—but really, her principles are much more important here.) “I’m doing what I can, given my so-called ‘limitations.’”

“Oh, for god’s sake, woman,” Galavant groans, glaring down at her. Or at least, Isabella assumes he’s glaring. There’s only so much of his face she can see, behind the mask that obscures the top half of his face and most of his jawline. No one knows his true identity (if he even has one)—not even Isabella, who’s spent a fair amount of time with him, under circumstances similar to these. “There’s no shame in being human. Most people are human! Most people aren’t invulnerable or super strong or able to _fly._ That’s why I’m the one in the cape and tights.”

Isabella looks down at her skirt and stockings, then back up at him, arching an eyebrow. He huffs out an exasperated breath, glare redoubling in effort. “You know what I mean!”

“Look,” Isabella snaps back, hands on her hips. “I’m an investigative journalist. I go where the stories are. That usually means going where the danger is. Do I sometimes get in over my head? Yes. Am I sometimes placed in life-threatening situations, given the weird confluence of supernatural abilities in both good and bad people in our town? Yes.” She pauses. “Have I lost track of my point?”

“Rather,” Galavant murmurs, but he sounds a little less irritated. “Have you ever considered investigating less volatile issues? Political corruption? White-collar crime? They’re still important, you know.”

Isabella rolls her eyes. “You sound just like my editor. ‘There’s no need to get quite so close to the source, Isabella.’ ‘You can just do some of your research online, Isabella.’ ‘It wouldn’t kill you to write one piece about a local election instead of exposes on supervillain crimes once in a while, Isabella.’”

Galavant snorts; beneath the mask, she thinks he looks amused. “I’ve never been able to let anyone hold me back from fighting every battle I can, either.”

Isabella beams at him. “I knew you’d understand.”

“But I am a _superhero,”_ he says again, more firmly. Too bad—she really thought they were bonding. “The level of danger I place myself in is not proportionate to a human doing the same things. My risk in these situations is far lower than yours.”

“Are you trying to tell me you don’t get hurt?” Isabella retorts, scowling. “I seem to recall a stray fireball from that dragon last month got pretty close to third-degree burns, even with your super suit.”

“Are _you_ trying to tell me you were worried about me?” Galavant shoots back.

“Maybe I am!” Isabella exclaims, and oh, that wasn’t where she was expecting this conversation to go. Her scowl deepens, at odds with her words, and when she and Galavant glare at one another, as they have many a time before, it feels… different. Hmm.

“All right,” she says after a moment, unable to bear this unusual new tension. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll try to hold back on the rushing-into-danger-supposedly-unsuited-for-a-human-despite-ample-evidence-that-you-can-sustain-injuries-from-it-too-while-I-never-have-even-once-thank-you-very-much—”

“Decent of you,” Galavant mutters, clearly unimpressed.

“— _if_ you agree to provide me with exclusives, so I can retain my high standards of journalistic integrity and excellence.” She pats the holster purse strapped to her hip, attached more securely than an ordinary bag would allow. “Tell me about these events. Make me feel like I was there. Maybe even take me along, in a more supervised capacity—” Ah, he’s looking irritated again. They’ll have to come back to that one. “—Well, you get the idea.” She extends a hand to him, hoping she looks cool and professional. “Deal?”

Galavant studies her for a moment, and she has to wonder if he looks that inscrutable under his mask, or if it’s just that she can’t see most of his face. And eventually, the corner of his mouth quirks upward in a wry little smile and he takes her hand. The gesture should be businesslike, under the circumstances—it’s a business deal of sorts, after all, and they hardly know one another, these frequent scene-of-the-crime arguments aside—but, somehow, it isn’t. “Deal.”

And before she can fully process the moment, Galavant’s taken off—literally. She watches him fly away until he’s no more than a speck in the air, barely visible, and she finds herself smiling.


End file.
